Computer-aided casting solidification process would help the industries to better understand the mold filling and temperature history of the solidifying castings. The process would help in identifying the defects with the aid of obtained time-temperature contours and optimizing the design parameters. Solidification plots, in a few cases, are found to show that at some locations of casting, temperature gradient becomes too high, which is perhaps the potential cause of porosity and shrinkage at that location. In the paper, "Optimization of Risering System and Its Experimental Validation Using Casting Simulation", the authors, Yadav Pranav M, Kumbhar Rushikesh B, Patil Akshaykumar S, Khatavkar Swarup V and Bhushan S Kamble, have used a freeware virtual simulation software and obtained various simulation results for 12 combinations of T-section component of aluminum metal. The results were compared with the casted specimens which are sliced at a vertical plane for observing the internal shrinkage defect, if any. An appropriate riser design is suggested by the authors from a comparison of analytical and experimental results.

Furan-No-Bake (FNB) sand mold system is a technology in high demand due to its good surface finish, dimensional stability and shake-out characteristics. Like any other system, FNB casting process is also not devoid of defects occurring due to the limitations of the process. There have been many instances where an apparently good casting has failed, only to reveal quite massive internal faults. Till recently, casting defects are analyzed by tools like DOE, If-Then rules, Ishikawa Charts, etc. The casting data analyzed are applied in certain optimization tools like ANOVA or Taguchi method. With the emergence of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), the concept of simulation has emerged as tools for simulation, which saves time and money. In order to optimize the FNB casting process parameters for minimum sand inclusion defect, in the second paper, "Application of Artificial Neural Network and Genetic Algorithm to Evaluate the Quality of Furan No-Bake Casting", the authors, Manojkumar V Sheladiya, Shailee G Acharya and Ghanshyam D Acharya, have generated the data randomly by providing a higher limit and lower limit of the process parameters. From the validation of output given by both methods, the authors have concluded that minimization of FNB sand inclusion defects is possible with the help of GA and ANN.

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are the most sought-after materials in the field of aerospace, automobiles, turbines, etc. They received more attention for their lightweight, higher strength and stability than several other composites. The strength properties can further be improved by adding suitable fillers. Particulate reinforcement is one of the methods to enhance the strength, ductility and toughness of the composites. Stir casting technique was used to fabricate the MMC. In recent years, much work is being done on MMCs with graphite reinforcements, which exhibit low friction and wear rate and excellent mechanical properties. In the paper, "An Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Al6061/Graphite MMC Fabricated by Stir Casting Method", the authors, Vishwanath V H and Gururaj Hatti, have used 1%, 3% and 5% graphite reinforcement and studied the variations in the tensile strength, microhardness and microstructure. The study noted that an increase in graphite content has resulted in significant increase in the tensile strength and a decrease in hardness. The microstructures of the composites differ only in the degree of reinforcing particulates clustering. Thus, it is necessary to have a compromising percentage of graphite particulate to enhance the strength parameters without sacrificing on the hardness.

With the rapid industrialization of the workforce in the 21st century, many employees are exposed to mechanical vibration. Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) exposure can result in several health risks. Understanding how the body responds to vibration under different working conditions can throw light on the effective strategies to reduce the health risks. Since the human body displays anisotropic properties, i.e., the body displays different mechanical properties in response to different load orientations, when the whole body is exposed to vertical vibration, the body's asymmetric shape affects the response to translational and rotational motion due to seat-to-head transmissibility. In the last paper, "Biodynamic Response of Human Subjects Exposed to Whole Body Vibration in Forging", the authors, Kamaljeet Bhambri, Ishbir Singh, Harwinder Singh and Tejeet Singh, have presented the investigations on WBV exposures and transmissibility at head and back among Indian forging subjects. They note that more than 90% of industrial workers were affected due to high exposure of WBV with discomfort and stomach problems. Their study found that the dominant frequencies for 7-12 Hz and for 8-10 Hz would cause discomfort for different parts of human body.